SOME selected 70 unemployed young women and youths in Kwara and Kogi states have benefitted from an agricultural value chain training and empowerment programme in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The training programme, sponsored by a federal lawmaker representing Okenne/Ogori Magongo federal constituency of Kogi state, Hon. Tijani Damisa, and held at the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, was targeted at reducing the unemployment rate, making the participants self-reliant and become employers of labour.
Speaking at the programme, a consultant in the training firm, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, said that the training programme was the sixth edition, adding that over a thousand people had so far benefited.
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Ibrahim, who said that participants were taken through opportunities in the agricultural value chain, such as poultry business, maize farming, poultry feeds production and marketing, egg production and sale, among others, added that, “the training programme is aimed at empowering some young unemployed women and youth so that they can be of benefit to themselves. In his own little way, through his constituency funding, the lawmaker wants to reduce the unemployment rate among youth in the country. It is also expected that beneficiaries of the training programme would upon getting back to their different places, start Agric value chain project in a small way and grow better.”
Also speaking, the executive director of the ARMTI, Dr Olufemi Oladunni, said that federal government was committed to providing employment opportunities for young graduates, adding that the training programme was part of a collaboration at empowering youth with a requisite skill for self-reliance.
Dr Oladunni also said that the training programme was capable of empowering young graduates to be employers of labour, while he discouraged pursuit of salary appointment.
Dr Oladunni, who was full of praises for the sponsor of the training programme, enjoined the participants to place value of hard work above money, admonishing that those who pursue wealth do not necessarily become wealthy.
He also told the young farmers to be productive, adding that no knowledge is irrelevant.
While appreciating the sponsor, one of the beneficiaries, Sheu Anako, commended the programme for being backed with a financial incentive, saying that the programme would go a long way to ameliorate poverty caused by unemployment among people.
“Unlike some programmes you attend and still go idle thereafter due to lack of startup capital to practicalise what you’ve learnt, this is different and commendable,” he said.
